9 Lives Are Nothing (Without You)
by CovenantGirlLoki
Summary: This was a very important decision. He had to choose carefully. After all he would be responsible for them... A bright flash of red caught his attention. Just in front of the glass a young catboy with shiny red hair with dark red ears and a dark red tail caught Haru's attention Catboy AU, RinxHaru crappy summary rating may change *Inspiration is cover art*
1. Catboy

**A/N hello lovelies! I want to start this by saying thank you to the amazing Sakura-Rose12 for letting me borrow her AU idea!**

 **So basically this is a Catboy! AU based on one of Saruka's artworks which I will try to post or use as a cover or something…**

 **But yeah anyway! Enjoy!**

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Chapter 1: Catboy

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On November twenty-third a young boy, no older than ten years old, held onto his mother's hand as she led him through the doors of the rescue shelter. Wide, impossibly blue eyes took in every detail of the large room where other families waited with their kids for their turn to go into the viewing area.

"Take a seat dear while I go fill in the paperwork ok?" his mother told him sweetly, letting his hand go as she made her way to the counter. Haruka nodded as he sat down to wait, his expression was calm as he waited, not giving away that he was actually rather excited.

Mr and Mrs Nanase had been blessed with a sweet and only son. However their demanding jobs often meant that they were not able to spend time with him. Their jobs meant that little Haru was often left in the care of his grandmother. While the woman loved her grandson, his parents worried about his lack of friends his age. Haru had one friend his own age, a sweet boy named Makoto who was a year younger than himself. It was Makoto's parents who had suggested the idea of adopting a catboy or girl for Haru in the first place, after all when they had adopted one by the name of Kisumi into their own home Makoto had really opened up more. Mr and Mrs Nanase had decided that it was worth a shot.

And so that was why Haru found himself sitting on the chair, swinging his legs a little in anticipation, while his mother handed over the last of the paperwork. Mrs Nanase re-joined her son and smiled at him, "Well Haru all that's left now is for you to pick out your new friend!" she told him cheerfully. "Because we did all the paperwork before coming in we can go in after the current family is finished."

He nodded to show that he understood. Haru wasn't overly talkative and it was one of his parents' hopes that the soon to be latest addition to their family would draw him out of his shell.

It was a further ten minutes before the door to the viewing area opened to reveal a family of four coming back out with a small girl trailing behind them, the back of her plain black collar being held by the worker. Through the girls blonde hair poked to cat-like ears, her nails seemed to be pointed and from beneath her skirt a lean tail flicked from side to side in her excitement.

"Nanase's?" One of the workers called, looking around.

"That's us!" Haru's mother said, taking his hand as they stood and followed the woman back through the door.

If it were possible Haru's blue eyes widened. Letting go of his mother hand he walked forward, pressing the palms of his hands to the glass as he gazed in. Beyond the glass was a large room, catboys and girls were littered throughout, all doing various activities.

Haru glanced back at his mother, "I get to choose one?" he asked to be sure.

She nodded, smiling fondly at the excitement she could see in her son's eyes. "That's right Haru, this is your choice. But we can only take one home, so make sure you're sure ok?"

He nodded and turned back to the glass. This was a very important decision.

A bright flash of red caught his attention.

Just in front of the glass a young catboy with shiny red hair with dark red ears and a dark red tail, around Haru's height, was wrestling with a dark haired catboy. Small but surprisingly sharp fangs flashing as he playfully tried to bite the others arm.

The worker sighed and stepped up to the glass, knocking on it a couple of times to gain the pairs attention, "Rin, Grey, do I have to separate you two again?"

The two broke away from each other quickly. The dark haired male wandered off while the red haired boy sat cross legged on the floor in front of Haru, licking the back of his hand before running it over his right ear. He repeated the motion twice more before pausing his actions. As though sensing that he was being watched he looked up and met Haru's gaze with red eyes through the glass.

 _"That one."_

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 **I own nothing (hell not even the idea XD) but drop a review maybe?**


	2. Your Choice

**A/N I own nothing! OK as I said this was inspired by an artwork by the incredibly amazing Sakura-Rose12! Seriously her art is amazing!**

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Chapter 2: Your choice

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"That one." Haru said simply, not taking his eyes off of the catboy who was now moving closer to the glass, a look of pure curiosity written on his face.

"Are you sure Haru?" his mother asked, stepping up to his side and placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Young man, Rin isn't the most behaved male that we have. Are you sure you wouldn't prefer one easier to tame?" the worker asked.

"No. I want to get to know that one. I don't want to tame him!" Haru added in a slightly annoyed tone.

Before the worker could argue Haru's mother stepped in to defend her sons' choice, "He seems perfect. We'll adopt him. 'Rin' was it?"

The worker sighed and nodded. "Yes, his name is Rin. He is quite energetic and can be a bit impulsive. He has been adopted once before and was brought back." She kept her voice low as she spoke to Haru's mother, the other woman could hear the protective tone slip into her voice, "His energy was apparently too overbearing for them."

The last bit of information made her a pause, but one look at the intrigued expression and small hints of a smile on her sons face as he and Rin watched each other through the glass, and the small hesitation was gone. "Well he will have a home with us, no need to worry about that."

The worker nodded. Using a key she unlocked the door that led to the room, making sure to close the door securely behind her. Stepping around the others who either paid her no mind or watched her warily, she made her way to Rin. It was only when she had leaned down to lift him up that the catboy looked away from Haru. Minutes later she came back through the door, placing Rin on the floor and holding the back of the plain black collar that was around his neck to keep him from running off.

"Rin," She said calmly, gaining his attention, "This is Haru and his mother. They want to adopt you."

The catboy looked back to Haru who was coming closer. "New family?" he asked, his vocabulary was limited, traditionally catboys and girls were taught how to speak by their caregivers and his last family hadn't taught him that much.

Haru nodded, "That's right, new family." He told him.

Rin's red eyes lit up as darted forward, the worker letting go before he could hurt himself, and wrapped his arms around Haru's waist. The raven was taken by surprise at first and Haru's mother wondered how he would react. After a moment though he hugged the catboy back, a darting red tail catching his attention. Haru's mother smiled at the sight.

Rin's tail continued to dart from side to side as he followed Haru and his mother out to the main area, the worker was once again holding his collar. He couldn't have stopped the smile on his face even if he wanted to. Rin had been so sure that when his last family returned him he wouldn't be adopted again. He may be young but he wasn't that ignorant.

Now though he was getting a second chance! The thought alone was enough to make Rin purr subconsciously.

Haru turned at the sound, the corners of his lips pulling up to return the bright smile directed at him.

"Ok," The worker started, "We just have to fill out the last of the adoption paperwork but then Rin is all yours." Her voice was a lot more optimistic now that she had seen how happy Rin and Haru were, "Haru why don't you take Rin over there to pick out a collar and leash?" she suggested.

The little boy looked up at his mother, receiving a nod, and coming over. Rin moved a little so that Haru could take hold of the back of his collar how the worker demonstrated.

But to the surprise of both worker and catboy, Haru took Rin by the hand instead. Haru's mother smiled proudly.

The red head beamed at him as Haru led him over to the wall where an array of collars and leashes and other care items were.

"This collar is plain." Haru told him bluntly looking at the black leather around Rin's neck. "You pick which one you want."

Rin's eyes widened, "Me pick? Really?" his last owners never let him pick anything for himself. Haru nodded. Rin couldn't resist the urge to hug Haru again before pulling back and looking up at the different collars.

There were so many but one in particular stood out. Rin pointed shyly to a dark blue collar with a shiny silver bell that caught the light perfectly.

Haru stood up on his toes to reach it, not letting go of his hand while he did so. "Why this one?" he asked, looking down at the collar and wondering what was so special about this one.

Rin pointed at the collar before pointing at Haru's eyes, not knowing all the words to say, "Blue!" he said happily.

Haru blushed and glanced away, nodding in understanding and handing him the collar. "Ok now we need a leash…" there was obvious distaste in his tone at those words. Haru never liked the idea of putting someone on a leash but he knew that it would be necessary, or at least that's what his parents had told him last night.

Rin wasn't paying attention though; too busy playing with the bell on the collar. Haru shrugged and picked out a simple leash, it would do.

Haru's mother came back over to the two and knelt down in front of them, "You two ready to go home?" she asked.

The question caught Rin's attention. He nodded enthusiastically, "New home!"

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 **A/N so that's as far as I've gotten so far but there will be more!**


	3. Bells, Home and Family

Bells, Home and Family

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 **A/N I own nothing**

 **Really glad you guys like this so far! I know it doesn't really have anything overly interesting just yet…**

 **As always a big thank you to the ever amazing Sakura-Rose 12**

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On the ride home Haru's mother smiled whenever she glanced in the rear view mirror towards the two youngsters. Rin was sitting in the middle beside Haru, red eyes wide as he looked at the things go past.

At a set of traffic lights their car pulled up alongside a silver car, a middle aged man in the driver's seat and a catboy of around the same age in the back. Upon seeing the older catboy Rin eagerly tried to get closer to the window, half crawling over Haru to do so as his tail nearly flicked him. "Rin sweetie?" She called, gaining his attention, "Please sit back down."

"Oh ok!" he nodded and sat back, still eyeing the other who had also looked up to give Rin a bored look. "No seen older cat before much!" he tried to explain.

"You don't see many older catboys?" She asked to clarify. Rin nodded again; they would have to work on his language skills later.

As they continued home Haru couldn't help but notice the way that Rin's enthusiasm slowly started to fade, wide eyes now starting to droop. "Tired?" he asked curiously, taking Rin's hand again. He glanced up and saw that it was nearly three o'clock. The catboy nodded with a large yawn, showing off those sharp teeth once more and rubbing his eyes. "You can sleep if you want to; I'll wake you up when we get home." He assured him.

Rin looked reluctant but he caved and moved so that he could curl up, head on Haru's lap and not at all put out by the seat belt that stretched to make up for the shift.

Haru, for his part, looked a little surprised at first but as Rin's breathing evened out he carefully ran his fingers through his red hair. It was softer than it looked and he noticed that when he stroked closer to his ear it twitched. Amused Haru continued to run his fingers through Rin's hair to see how he would react. When he stroked too close to one of his ears it would twitch, when he stroked closer to the back of his neck he shivered and when Haru stoked directly between his ears Rin sighed in his sleep and shifted closer.

A soft smiled graced Haru's lips as he looked down at him, he had made the right choice.

As they pulled into the driveway Haru gently shook Rin's shoulder. The catboy groaned and pouted at being woken, stubbornly keeping his eyes shut as he turned his head more towards Haru's body. With a sigh Haru shook his shoulder again more insistent this time, "Rin… Rin come one, wake up! We're home!"

Those words certainly gained the redhead's attention. Blinking his bright eyes open he sat up, leaning over Haru's lap and holding onto the edge of the car seat he arched his back and stretched lazily with a yawn. Haru watched him curiously and ran his hand over Rin's back, fingers following the graceful arch of his spine. A small pleased purr bubbled up through the catboys lips at his new owners touch.

Haru's mother opened the door to the car, smiling at the two. "Come on you two." She chuckled as she lifted Rin out of the car, holding his hand while Haru climbed out of the car too, closing the door behind him.

Once he was out he took Rin's other hand as his mother knelt down in front of the two. Opening up her wallet she pulled from it a small silver circle. Rin watched her curiously as she lifted it so he could see it. The silver thing seemed to be a round metal tag, engraved on one side of the metal were numbers and letters that he was unable to understand.

"This has our address on in so that if ever you get lost you can ask someone to take you back here. Back home." She explained, gently tilting his chin up so she could attach the tag to his new collar.

Haru frowned a fraction, "But he won't get lost right?"

"Of course not sweetie but just in case. Now why don't you show Rin to the house and give him a tour?" She suggested, watching the two as Haru nodded and led Rin up the stairs and to their home.

Holding onto Rin's hand, his mother's words now making the young boy worry about losing his new friend, Haru led him to his grandmother's house. It wasn't practical for his parents to have their own as they were always away and Haru lived with her anyway.

"This is where we live. This is going to be you're home now too." Haru tried to keep his sentences short and simple, he had seen Rin struggle earlier to form correct sentences so he hoped that by using blunt, to the point, sentences the catboy would be able to learn.

"Home." Rin repeated in a wistful tone, smiling at Haru with unrestricted joy that made Haru's heart race.

Haru opened the door and let Rin inside, taking his own shoes off and watching as Rin did the same. Once his mother had joined them inside he closed the door as Rin moved further into the house, sniffing the air and keeping his lips parted to strengthen the scents of the new environment.

"Is this the little guy?" a new friendly voice caught the three's attention.

Rin looked up… and continued to look up at the tall man with black hair and kind blue eyes. Red eyes widening the catboy, feeling very small next to the man, turned and darted back to Haru's side. Hiding behind his back he looked around him shyly.

The man chuckled as Haru looked at him as best he could over his shoulder in confusion. "Rin? What are you doing?"

"It's alright Haru, he's probably just a little shy." The man said sweetly, kneeling down to be eyelevel with the two, "Hello there Rin, I'm Haru's dad, welcome to the family." He held his hand out, palm up to the young catboy.

Rin watched him for moment longer before taking a step around Haru and moving forward, curiosity outweighing his hesitation as he sniffed at the man's hand. Looking up at him Rin decided that he seemed trustworthy… nothing like the last father of his last adoptive family had been…

"Hi! I Rin!" He introduced himself, pointing to himself as he bucked his head against the man's hand.

The man patted his head with a small laugh, "Nice to meet you Rin! Haru why don't you take him to meet your grandmother while your mother and I fix up dinner?"

Haru nodded and lightly touched Rin's shoulder, "Come on, there's one more person for you to meet I'll show you around!"

Rin followed at Haru's heels – something he would have to get used to – as he led the way to the other room where an older woman was reading and drinking tea. Haru introduced the two, Rin not feeling at all cautious about meeting her.

"Hello little one," the woman said sweetly as she watched him. Rin was looking at the bracelet she wore, it was gold and shiny.

"Light off gold bounce! Bell is same! Look! Ding ding!" he said cheerfully, poking at the silver bell on his collar and smiling wider when the small dinging echoed from it.

She nodded, "Yes very nice!" she laughed before turning to Haru, "Makoto stopped by earlier dear."

"Oh, can I take Rin to meet him?" Haru asked her hopefully.

"I don't see why not! But make sure you take his leash please!" she added in a tone that, while gentle, still showed that it was more of an order than a question.

"I will!" Haru agreed, "Come on Rin." He called as he headed back towards the door to get the leash and take his new friend to meet his best friend.

Rin following behind him, tail swaying as he poked the bell, muttering quietly, "Ding ding…"


	4. Flutterflies and New Friends

**Flutterflies and New Friends**

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 **A/N I Own Nothing**

 **Thank you as always to Sakura Rose 12 for the idea**

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It was a short trip down to where Makoto and his family lived but Haru made sure to take his time and hold Rin's hand as they went down the stairs. The catboy would pause before each step, eyeing the next step critically before taking it. Haru didn't mind, he wasn't one to rush.

When they did get to the door though Haru released his hand, holding onto the leash loosely, to knock.

As they waited Rin looked around, sniffing the air he knew he was in a different catboys territory but before he could find the words to comment a white flicker to his right caught his eye. Turning he smiled widely with a small quiet gasp, "Flutterfly!"

Haru looked at him to ask what he had said when suddenly the catboy dropped down into a stalking stance, moving slowly forward; his tail in the air moving slowly as he stalked towards the flowers the white butterfly had landed on.

Haru's lips twitched as he followed behind him, staying close enough so the leash wouldn't pull at his collar. Rin continued to move forward until he was only a few feet away. He jumped forward with a cry of, "Flutterfly!" hands outstretched to try to catch it. As he watched him Haru was surprised to see Rin's nails grow to points, like cats claws extending.

The butterfly, of course, was too quick for the clumsy hunter and easily dodged him. As it flew away Rin landed in a heap on the ground amongst Mrs Tachibana's flowers. He pouted as the butterfly flew further away, pointing at it and calling sadly, "Flutterfly!"

Haru actually smiled at that, Rin looked adorable surrounded by flowers and calling for the 'flutterfly'. He walked closer and ran his fingers through his soft red hair, petals falling as he did, "It's ok Rin, come on." He coaxed as he heard the door opening.

"But Flutterfly…" Rin mumbled as he leaning into Haru's hand.

He nodded seriously, "I know," Haru's voice was full of understanding as he leaned down to take Rin's hand, the catboys nails returning to normal as he let Haru coax him into standing.

When they turned around Haru found Makoto's mother watching them with an amused smile, seemingly unfazed by the small mess the catboy had made in her flowers. "Hello Haru, is this your new friend?"

The little boy nodded as Rin's pout disappeared, butterfly forgotten at the sight of the new person. "Hi! I Rin!" he said cheerfully.

"Well hello Rin, aren't you a cutie!" She said with a smile as she held the door open for the two, "Come on in, Makoto and Kisumi are in Makoto's room."

"Thank you." Haru said respectfully and led Rin inside, knowing this house just as well as his own.

Rin stayed close behind Haru as he followed, the scent of the other catboy was stronger inside and he was both nervous and excited to meet the other. Haru led him down a hallway and to an open door.

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"Makoto?" Haru called to gain his friends attention.

Makoto was sitting on the floor, Kisumi lying on his back in front of him with his tail waving in the air as Makoto dangled a fuzzy ball on a string above him, a bright smile on his face as Kisumi swiped and battered it.

Green eyes looked up, "Hello Haru! Oh, who's this?" he asked, spotting Rin whose red eyes also trailed on the fluffy ball.

"This is Rin." Haru introduced them as Kisumi got up, sniffing the air and coming closer.

Haru and Makoto watched them warily as Rin stepped forward. The two catboys seemed to weigh each other up, both trying to determine whether the other was a threat or not. Kisumi meowed and Rin replied in turn, the two moving closer and sniffing each other while communicating in small meows and quiet purrs. Eventually though Kisumi rubbed his cheek against Rin's who giggled and licked Kisumi's ear affectionately.

"I think they like each other!" Makoto observed, smiling at Haru in that distinctly Makoto way that Haru couldn't help but return with a small barely there smile.

He nodded though, "I think so, Rin come here." He called to get his catboys' attention. Rin looked back at him and hurried over. "Hold still…" Haru muttered as he unclipped the leash. Once it was off he nodded towards Makoto, "Rin this is Makoto."

"Ma-oto." Rin repeated with a proud smile.

Kisumi giggled, "No, it's Makoto!"

Rin's eyebrows furrowed in thought, "Ma-ka-o." he tried, sounding it out.

While Kisumi tried again to get him to pronounce his human's name correctly Makoto moved to Haru's side. "Does he have trouble talking?"

"Yeah, he had an owner before us but they didn't teach him much before they brought him back." Haru explained.

Makoto looked at him in surprise, "They took him back? But he's so sweet!" he kept his voice low so Rin wouldn't hear them talking about him.

Haru shrugged, "It doesn't matter. He has a home with us now." In Haru's opinion that was the problem solved, Rin would have a home with him where he got loved and taken care of and he wouldn't have to worry about going back. "Still I have to try to teach him to speak properly. Maybe you can help?" He asked looking up at Makoto. After all he had done it before with Kisumi.

Makoto nodded, "I'd be happy to help!"

Rin and Kisumi came over, Kisumi smiling proudly as he nudged Rin, "Go on."

"Makoto!" Rin said with a happy smile.

Haru returned the smile and ran his fingers through Rin's hair. "Good job."

Makoto smiled at him, "That's right Rin! Rin how would you like it if we helped you learn to speak?" he asked kindly.

Rin looked up at Haru, "Haru help?" he asked, taking a small step closer. He liked Kisumi and Makoto seemed really nice but still he wanted Haru to be there too.

Haru nodded, "Yeah I'll be here to help too." He assured him.

Rin nodded, "Want speak right!" he pointed at Haru then at Makoto and Kisumi who licked his finger, making him giggle. "You help."

Makoto smiled, "It's decided then! We'll start teaching you tomorrow, but for now why don't you and Kisumi play?"

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 **A/N bit of a nothing chapter sorry lovelies, let me know what you think though?**


	5. Dinner and Dreams

**A/N Hey lovelies! Look I did a thing! I know this took a while sorry about that!**

 **As always thank you to Sakura-Rose12 for the inspiration**

 **I own nothing**

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For the next few hours the two catboys played meowing to each other rather than talking. Makoto and Haru were colouring, Makoto chatting casually while Haru stayed silent.

After a while though it was time for them to head home. Makoto and Kisumi led them to the door, the two catboys playfully flicking each other's tails as their human companions made plans to meet back at Haru's house after school the next day. Haru didn't bother putting the leash back on Rin's collar, he would hold his hand anyway.

"Oh I forgot to tell you! Did you hear that Rei got a catboy too?" Makoto asked. The blue haired boy was new to their school and seemed a bit shy, keeping his head down and focusing on his work rather than speaking to others. Naturally Makoto had made friends with him and by default that meant Haru had too, despite him being in a grade below them. "I think he said his name is Nagisa? Maybe we could all hang out so the cats can meet and play?"

"Yeah maybe." Haru nodded in agreement, looking at Rin who seemed to be growing tired again. "I better get him home, mum and dad will probably have dinner ready by now too."

"Ok, I'll see you tomorrow then Haru. It was nice meeting you Rin!" Makoto smiled his Makoto smile and waved good bye.

"Makoto you nice meet too." Rin replied with a smile.

"It was nice to meet you too Makoto." Haru interpreted when Makoto looked confused. They would definitely need to do some work on his sentences at the least.

With that the two headed home, walking in to a house full of new smells that Rin had never smelt before. The catboy looked around and followed the smell to the kitchen where Haru's parents were plating up the food and smiling lovingly at each other as they did. Rin couldn't help but stare… his last family had been nothing like this…

"The little ones are back." The kind voice of Haru's grandmother said from behind him and Rin tilted his head back to see her, the bright smile appearing back on his face immediately as she gave him a small scratch behind the ears.

Haru stepped around her with a neutral expression as he took Rin's hand to lead him to the dinner table.

"Haru? What do you do before eating?" Haru's dad asked him and Haru perked up when he remembered.

"Wash my hands, ok Rin come on." He called and led him to the bathroom.

When Haru turned the tap on Rin was instantly in a playful mood again, tiredness from earlier forgotten. Going to the sink he started batting at the water with his hands, small growls followed by giggles slipping from his lips. The water splashed Haru and he shook his head, wiping the water from his face. "Rin stop playing with the water! You have to respect the water." He told him, mildly annoyed.

Rin didn't listen though, still playing. He started to clap his hands in the water, laughing gleefully when he himself got splashed by it. Haru sighed. Remembering the car trip home he reached out and stroked the hair near Rin's neck. The catboy stopped laughing and shivered, "Hey!" he protested with a pout.

"Wash your hands properly Rin, like this." Haru instructed as he showed him. With a sigh Rin did as Haru said and while he washed his hands Haru grabbed a towel to dry his face and hair. The catboy purred and leaned into to the touch and Haru knew deep down that Rin would probably get away with a lot because he already had him wrapped around his little finger.

* * *

Cooking for a catboy, as it turned out, was just like cooking for any ten year old boy. Their genetics were spliced in such a way that catboys could eat the majority of human foods without much issue. That didn't mean that they would eat anything put in front of them.

Rin looked at the plate in front of him with caution and curiosity before turning his attention to the cutlery, specifically the fork. Haru's parents had cut up the boys' food for them and had removed all the bones. Haru was happily eating the mackerel on his plate. It was his favourite and while his grandmother tried to get him to vary what he ate when his parents were home they liked to spoil him with his favourite foods.

"Rin? Don't you like mackerel?" Haru's mother asked when she noticed he hadn't started eating yet.

He looked up at her and shrugged, "No try yet." He admitted, staring at the fish meat in front of him.

"Oh, well you never know until you try." She replied with a smile, watching him curiously as he picked up the fork clumsily, as though he wasn't sure how to hold it properly, and tried a small amount.

Rin's face showed exactly what he was feeling about the food as he tasted it, causing the adults to chuckle as his eyes lit up brightly, "Yummy!" he told them and ate some more.

"Of course it's yummy, it's mackerel." Haru told him confidently.

* * *

After the dinner was finished the boys were tasked with sweeping up the rice that had fallen to the floor. Haru looked at the rice that Rin had accidentally dropped. "You dropped a lot," He observed, blunt as always, "It's like you haven't ate at a table before…"

Rin shook his head, "Have not." He told him, continuing with what he was doing before getting distracted with a loose strand of fabric that trailed from Haru's pants, stalking it and playing with it as Haru walked the rice to the bin.

"You haven't ate at a table before? What about your last home?" The human asked his friend to understand better.

"Nope. Cat no person. Table for person. Cat eat off floor." Rin repeated the words with a shrug, giggling when he managed to pull the thread loose and got a new thing to play with.

Haru was shocked by the words and knelt down in front of him. "Not here they don't. Here you eat at the table with us ok?"

Rin smiled and leaned closer to rub his cheek against Haru's, a small purr sounding. Haru was taken a little off guard by the action but he had seen Kisumi do it to Makoto when he was happy or showing affection so he assumed it was a good thing.

* * *

In preparation for the new addition to their family, Haru's parents and grandmother had set up the spare room for them, using just neutral colours and neutral toys and decorations. Rin's eyes widened once more when Haru showed him to his room, looking around in awe and hugging him in thanks before running in.

"Is Rin's?" he asked, sounding as if he had never has a room just to himself before.

Haru nodded, "Yeah it's all yours. My room is across the halls if you need anything ok?" The catboy looked around him and nodded, seeing into Haru's room. "It's late though, you can play more with your toys tomorrow, time for bed."

Down the hall Haru's mother chuckled at how grown up he sounded.

Rin wanted to argue but before he could he yawned. Nodding he followed Haru to the draw where the human got out some pyjamas for him to wear. Once he was dressed Haru helped him into bed and gently patted his hair until the catboy fell asleep.

Once he was sure that Rin was asleep, Haru got up and went to bed, a small smile on his face as he looked back at his new friend.

* * *

Haru wasn't sure at first what woke him. It was still dark and he was sure that his parents and grandmother would still be asleep. Blurry blue eyes looked around but he could see anything. Figuring it must be nothing he rolled over to go back to sleep… that was when he heard it.

A quiet whimpering.

Getting up and climbing out of the bed Haru headed across the hall to check on Rin, an uneasy feeling settling in his stomach.

His eyes were yet to adjust but he could still make out the silhouette of Rin on his bed, tossing and turning, his ears flat against his head as he whimpered. Moving closer Haru hesitated, should he wake him? That seemed like the right thing to do right?

"Rin?" he called quietly, shaking his shoulder gently. When this did nothing but make the catboy shudder in his sleep with another pitiful whimper Haru tried to shake him a little more, voice a little more firm when he called, "Rin, wake up!"

Rin jolted awake; in his daze he didn't register where he was or who was with him. Cowering on the bed he tried to move away from the person with him, "Go way! Rin a good boy! I is!" he pleaded, bottom lip shaking a little.

"Rin calm down! It's ok! It's me!" Haru quickly reached out to put on the lamp, lighting up the room and momentarily blinding the two. "It's Haru."

Seeing who it was Rin seemed to snap out of it, darting forward and hugging him tightly, face against his neck and breathing in Haru's scent. Haru hugged him back, gently rubbing his back and soothing him as best he could. "It's ok, it was just a bad dream. You're ok. You're safe."

"Haru?" Rin looked up at him with pleading red eyes that made the boys heart break, "I sleep you bed?"

"Of course you can. Come on." Haru carefully detached him from his side and took his hand, turning off the lamp and leading him across the hall to his room. The two climbed into bed and Rin immediately attached himself to Haru once more, snuggling against his chest.

Haru wasn't used to sleeping in a bed with someone else but he didn't like how sad Rin had been either and so he didn't say anything to stop him, just rubbing his back gently, "Good boy Rin. Go to sleep ok?"

"Kay…" Rin muttered, already half back to sleep as it was, feeling safe with Haru.

* * *

A/N special thank you to SweetHeaven for always leaving such sweet (pun not intended) reviews, your support is always welcome! And appreciated!


	6. Time For School

**A/N Hey lovelies, sorry this took forever, writers block mixed with uni assignments is a sucky combination. And sorry this one isn't as cute as the others have been, but there are some little hints in there if you look for them ;)**

* * *

The next morning Haru's grandmother woke up the two boys, smiling at the sight of the two: Rin snuggled up to Haru who hugged him protectively. Haru woke up easily with a yawn, rubbing the sleep from his eyes before turning his attention to Rin to try to wake him too.

The catboy whined and balled his hands in Haru's shirt, pressing his face against Haru's chest in protest.

"Aww little bub…" Haru's grandmother cooed with a smile, leaving the task of getting Rin up to Haru.

Haru sighed as he looked down at the mop of red hair. "Rin? Rin you have to get up… I have to go to school…"

"No…" came the drawled out reply, "Here stay!"

"I'd love to but I can't. I'll get in trouble if I don't go." Haru argued, "And Makoto will be sad because I'm not there."

This seemed to get Rin's attention, causing the catboy to look up at Haru with sleepy eyes, "Makoto be sad?" Haru nodded. "Kay Haru go. No want Makoto sad." An idea made Rin smile, his tail moving under the blanket a little in excitement, "Rin go?"

"You want to come to school with me?" Haru asked in confusion, school was boring, why would Rin want to come?

"Yeah!" Rin replied enthusiastically.

Haru considered it for a moment before ultimately shaking his head, "No I don't think I'm allowed to take you, but you can come for a drive when I get dropped off?"

* * *

After getting ready, the usual morning routine made longer from Rin trying to lap up his drink of milk (and the adults all finding it adorable and not stopping him), Haru and Rin were in the car with Haru's father on their way to school. It wasn't often that Mr Nanase got to drive his son to school and so he loved to so it every time he got the chance, though his wife always called dibs on picking up their son in the afternoon.

The whole drive there Rin asked Haru a non-stop list of questions about where he was going, what school was, what he would do there, and most importantly, why he couldn't come too.

Haru remained patient with him the while trip, answering the questions to the best of his ten year old ability, until they pulled up to the gates and it was time for Haru to go.

"Haru you no leave!" Rin whined holding his hand and looking genuinely devastated.

"I'll be back in a few hours Rin I promise, then we can play and do whatever you want to do ok?" Haru argued, carefully slipping out of Rin's hold and patting his hair soothingly before getting out.

His dad got out as well to give Haru a hug and kiss on his forehead, "Have a good day son, you're mum will be here to get you this afternoon. And don't worry, we'll look after Rin till you get back."

The two watched the raven haired boy until he was safely inside the school before Mr Nanase got into the car, "Rin can you please sit back?" He asked with a smile. Rin hurried to comply, falling silent after a muttered apology.

Call it father instincts, but Mr Nanase immediately got the feeling that something was wrong. However he chalked it up to just Rin missing Haru and headed home.

The journey back was silent and tense, Rin seemed to look anywhere but at the man in the driver's seat and any attempt at making small talk was shut down quickly. Rin seemed to be worried he would say something wrong… no… he was _afraid_ he would say something wrong.

Glancing back at him when they were at a red light, Mr Nanase saw the young catboys ears were flat against his head, his tail was around him and laying over his thighs, his head was bowed. He looked like he was worried he would get into trouble.

"Hey Rin?" Mr Nanase called as they pulled into the driveway, "Are you alright? You've been pretty quiet?" he asked gently, turning in his seat to look at him.

He was met by wide red eyes, Rin's ears perked up, "Oh? I sorry…"

Mr Nanase had to repress a sigh, the little catboy just looked more worried, "It's ok, you don't have to apologise. I just wanted to check that you're feeling ok?"

Rin nodded quickly. "Yep. Rin inside can?" he asked, his nerves making his sentences more broken than usual.

"Yeah buddy, let's go inside." Mr Nanase replied with a calm smile, helping him out of the car and holding his hand till they reached the door.

Rin thanked him quietly before running off into the house. Mr Nanase couldn't help but feel a little sad that his son's new friend didn't seem to like him. He couldn't help the nagging feeling though that there was more to it.

* * *

While only three hours had passed since they had dropped Haru off at school, to Rin it felt like a lifetime. He had already played with most of his new toys, explored the house, sat with Grandma, and had spent time with Mrs Nanase.

The catboy was officially bored.

In an attempt to keep him entertained Mr Nanase had let Rin go into the backyard with him while he worked on some of the files he had brought back with him.

Rin loved playing in the backyard, hunting bugs and trying to catch birds (all of which easily escaped the armature hunter who yelled in excitement when he jumped for them), but he still missed Haru. It was taking far too long for Haru to come home. Maybe he was lost? Maybe he didn't want to come home? Maybe he as mad at Rin?

With his thoughts growing more and more horrible - 'Maybe Haru doesn't want me anymore and is going to send me back?!' – Rin made the executive decision to go and find Haru himself and make sure he wasn't mad. He just had to get out of the backyard and into the front…

Waiting until Mr Nanase was focusing hard on his laptop, Rin carefully snuck towards the cherry blossom tree near the fence. Using his nails to help him climb it, Rin made it up to a branch that he could crawl along to get to the fence. Dropping down and using his tail to keep his balance, the young catboy gathered his courage and jumped down onto the ground.

Rin quickly grabbed his bell to stop the dinging, "Shhh gotta hush bell. Haru Rin coming."

With single minded determination, the catboy headed off down the street in the general direction of the school.

* * *

 **A/N Little Rin kitty is going on an adventure (who else read that in Bilbo Baggins voice? No one? Ok.) In the next chapter two more characters will be introduced, once being an adorable neko with light blue eyes and silver hair.**


	7. Dogs and New Friends

**A/N So… it's been a while since I updated I sorry ^^"**

* * *

The little catboy prided himself in being pretty brave. Rin had once hit a dogboy on the nose once when he was with his last family for being mean to the kids. However, even to the bravest of catboys, the world was an awfully big place and despite his determination the longer he walked the more nervous Rin grew.

It didn't take this long to get to the school in the car and the car was heavy so the weight would have made it slower. Surely on his own Rin would be moving faster because he was lighter, right?

"Maybe Rin back go…" He muttered quietly, biting his lip as he looked around thoughtfully. "No! Haru gotta go to!" he balled his hands into fists and kept on going. He would find his new friend and make sure Haru still wanted him and was okay.

He just had to find him…

* * *

After twenty minutes though Rin's conviction was wavering. He had reached a dead end. A literal dead end. The street was a no through road and now there were unfamiliar houses all around him. The little catboy was lost.

Looking around and sniffing the air in a desperate attempt to pick up Haru's scent, Rin whimpered when he didn't smell or see anything familiar around him. His tail flicked back and forth anxiously. "Maybe this way I go?" he mumbled as he took two steps towards a dark opening between two houses.

He froze though when he saw a lard black dog walk around the corner. The dog spotted him a growled menacingly, barking loudly. It was the dogs barking that shook him out of his frozen state, with a yelp Rin turned and ran.

To his horror the dog followed, barking loudly. The sound reverberated in his ears, making him cry out in fear as he dove for a thick bush against a wall of a house. He realized too late that it was a rose bush. The adrenaline coursing through him made the stings from the thorns near undetectable as he covered his ears with his hands and shut his eyes tight, shaking like a leaf.

The dog had been stopped when the chain around him ran out, not that was much of a comfort for the terrified catboy. Rin couldn't help the scared meows that slipped through his lips, not realizing it was loud enough for the residents of the house to hear.

* * *

"Hey!" A voice yelled, "Get away from here mutt!"

Daring to look up Rin saw a young boy, only about a year older than Haru, standing in front of the rose bush, shooing the dog away. The human boy wasn't alone though, as the scent of another catboy reached Rin's nose. And soon a small face of a catboy, maybe a year younger than Rin, appeared through the leaves. He had light blue eyes and silver hair. He looked nervous as he called over his shoulder, "Sousuke-sempai, come quick!"

The human came over at his words, kneeling down and carefully moving the braches aside to clear the way to Rin. "Hello there little guy… come on out, we won't hurt you." He coaxed gently.

Rin hesitated, he was so scared and he didn't know if he could trust them. He wanted Haru!

The other catboy moved closer, his small frame and the humans help easily letting him get closer. He meowed softly, "Hi, I'm Ai." He told him, using his nose to nudge Rin's arm.

Rin sniffed cautiously, "I Rin." He replied, leaning forward to bump his nose against Ai's cheek.

"Come out okay?" Ai coaxed gently, his voice and demeanour sweet, before moving back out.

Rin hesitated a moment longer before moving out, keeping his head down with his tail close to him, "Thank you, from dog you save Rin."

The human, Sousuke, smiled gently, "It's okay, she's a horrible dog. Are you new around here? I haven't seen you before."

Remembering Haru's mothers words, Rin held up the tag on his collar so that Sousuke could see it, "I here live! You help home me get? I lost…"

Sousuke stepped closer to Rin to read the address and nodded, "I know that street, we can take you home, I'll go and ask my aunty. Ai can you stay with Rin?"

The silver haired catboy nodded and stepped closer to Rin who smiled brightly at him, his mood lifted now that he was going to be able to go home, and licked Ai's cheek. Ai giggled.

Sousuke quickly went inside, returning shortly with his aunty who had brought out some band aids to cover Rin's cuts from the thorns. Once that was taken care of the four of them got into her car and headed back towards Rin's home. The three boys sat in the back seat, the catboys on either side of Sousuke.

* * *

 **A/N Let me know your thoughts**


	8. What Do You Mean 'Find Rin?

**A/N Guess who finally wrote a thing!**

* * *

When Haru returned home from school the house was in a state of utter chaos. His mother and father were frantically searching the house while alternating between yelling at each other and yelling out his new friends name.

All the while his grandmother was also searching, albeit more calmly. "Calm down you two, we will find Rin." The older woman assured.

However her words had the complete opposite effect on the young boy. "What do you mean find Rin?" Haru demanded as he closed the door. The three adults in the room whipped around at the sound, having been too preoccupied with their searching to see him come in.

"Haru!" his mother exclaimed, glancing at her husband for back up, "Well… umm… you see, your father was with Rin in the backyard. He looked away for a moment and… well we don't know where Rin went…"

The scolding the two parents had received from Haru's grandma had nothing on the heartbroken expression on their young sons face.

Instantly the two moved to their son who looked somewhere between worried and devastated. "Haru I am so sorry, I should have paid more attention, but we will find him. I promise you Haru we will find Rin." His father told him with pure determination in his voice.

Haru met his father's gaze, eyes the same shade of blue as his own, before nodding after a moment.

At that moment there was a knock at the door.

Haru's grandmother moved around the three to open the door, "Hello-"

Her greeting was drowned out by the excited meowing of a familiar red eyed catboy, "Haru home!"

Rin ran inside, slipping past Haru's grandma and running straight to where said startled boy was standing, tackling him to the ground in a tight hug. Rin was purring loudly, so excited to see that Haru had come home and so happy to be home himself as he nuzzled Haru's cheeks and neck.

Haru, relieved he was home as well and coming out of his shock, hugged him close protectively. "Rin where did you go?" he asked, pulling back enough to look at him and frowning when he saw his friend was covered in band aids, "What happened?!"

"Rin go find Haru, cause cause you no home come long time, and scared you no be my friend no more… scared you no keep me…" Rin admitted, looking down and biting his lip nervously as he was reminded of his earlier fears.

"I was at school Rin, it takes a long time but of course I want to keep you still, we're friends." Haru pointed out, lightly patting Rin's head the way he knew the catboy liked.

"I find school try but no, I lost and dog there! Was scary!" Rin recalled, cuddling closer to Haru at the thought of the dog. Haru understood and held him tighter.

"That's when I found him." An unfamiliar voice from the door drew Haru's attention and he saw a boy about his age and a younger catboy, hiding behind the human nervously, and a woman about his mother's age. "I'm Sousuke, and this is Ai, we found Rin hiding from the dog in my aunties rose garden, that's how he got all the little cuts."

It was then that the woman added, "He said he was lost and showed us the address on his collar, I figured there would be a little boy missing his friend so we hurried over as soon as we could."

"I honestly can't thank you enough," Haru's mother replied, "We were terrified we had lost him. Rin has only been with us for a couple of days so he isn't used to the area you see."

"I understand, it took Ai a couple weeks to get accustom to our area." Sousuke's aunty replied.

"Please, come in for a coffee or a tea or something?" Haru's father offered, placing his hand on Rin's shoulder but pulling away quickly when he felt the catboy flinch, assuming it was because he had been with him when he ran away.

"No, thank you but I have to get these two home, it was nice to meet you though." The woman said politely.

Rin let go of Haru to go and say goodbye to his new friends, he and Ai touching noses lightly before parting.

Once the three had left and Rin was safe, the rest of the afternoon passed pretty uneventfully.

* * *

After dinner had finished though, Haru's father figured it was time to try to clear the air with Rin. So when Haru and his wife did the dishes he called the young catboy into the other room.

Rin was instantly on edge and wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Rin… have I done something to upset you?" the man asked gently, "I want us to be friends and to get along. If I've done something you can tell me and I will try to fix it."

Rin clearly hadn't expected that though. "Oh… no, sir wrong did nothing promise."

"You know you don't have to tell me 'sir' right?" He said with a small smile.

The catboy looked at him suspiciously, "Okay…" this time he didn't said 'sir'. It looked like he was waiting for something.

Haru's father smiled encouragingly but it didn't seem to lessen Rin's suspicion any. He raised his hand, intending to try to calm the younger by patting his hair as he had seen his son do many times but he froze when Rin flinched and whimpered, raising his hands up to protect his head, "I sorry sir!"

"Rin! No it's okay!" the man rushed to assure but his own shock only seemed to make things worse as the catboy ran off to Haru's side.

Haru's father stood up, looking towards the kitchen in confusion. He would never hurt Rin, he hated violence of any kind, and it upset him that the catboy had thought he would.

As his wife came out, drying her hands on a tea towel, she gave him a questioning look, "What are you thinking so hard about love?"

"How much did the adoption people tell you about Rin's previous family?"

* * *

"Haru, Rin," The two looked up at Haru's grandma as she smiled at the two, "Bath time."

Rin tilted his head to the side in confusion and looked at the clock, staring at it to try to see if it had bath written anywhere on it.

Haru looked excited though as he took Rin's hand and led him towards the bathroom.

* * *

 **A/N Up soon, Bath Time!**


	9. Bath Time

**A/N Only a short chapter this time sorry guys, hopefully it's good enough. again sorry for how slow replies are but Uni tends to take priority and cuts into my writing time.**

* * *

"Rin, you have to get into the water to have a bath!" Haru sighed, shaking his head at the red head who was standing behind his grandmother, hugging her leg and utterly refusing to move.

Haru's grandma was very patient though, patting the catboy's hair in hopes to calm him down. She could have sworn he was trembling…

"Haru, why don't you get into the tub first dear?" She suggested, thinking that maybe when Rin saw it was safe he would get in too.

Haru nodded, stripping and getting into the tub, sinking lower into the water happily. Rin watched him hesitantly. It seemed that despite the catboys apprehension he couldn't help but be curious. "Wet… bad no?" he asked cautiously.

Haru tilted his head at Rin, "No the water is good. Come and see." He invited. He didn't get it, Rin had been having a ball playing with the water from the tap and yet he looked almost afraid to get into the bath. "It's okay Rin."

Rin bravely stepped closer, sniffing at the tub a little as he reached out to hit the water with his hand. After a couple of more hits to the water's surface Rin was willing to let Grandma undress him and help him into the water. As he sat next Haru in the tub he slowly relaxed. The sight of the two youngsters together was incredibly sweet; however there was one detail that soured the sight.

"Rin sweetheart…" Haru's grandmother called, making sure to keep her voice gentle and keep the shock out of her tone. "When did you get these scars?"

The catboy tilted his head in confusion for a moment before trying to look over his shoulder as he seemed to realize what she meant. On the redheads lower back, spanning from his left hip to roughly where his spine was, were three scars. They were somewhat faded but it was still obvious the wound had been serious. Rin looked torn, "Secret." He replied, looking uncomfortable.

Haru, who didn't really understand what a scar was or what caused them but did understand discomfort, splashed his friend a little to distract him, "Then it's okay. Grandma can we mix bubbles in the bath?" he asked, while Haru usually preferred not to have bubbles so he could see the water more clearly he had a feeling Rin would like it.

His grandmother agreed and nodded, getting the bubble mix and mixing it in with a bit more water.

Rin's expression betrayed every emotion he felt, from confusion as he sniffed at the bubbles, to utter excitement and joy when a bubble popped on his nose, making him gasp and his eyes light up.

"Haru! You see?" he asked urgently, pointing at the growing number of bubbles. Haru nodded, finding Rin's reaction a lot better than his discomfort even if he didn't share his excitement.

After that 'bath time' turned into 'hunt the bubbles time', as Haru contently sat in his end of the tub, watched as Rin stalked, leapt, and lunged at the bubbles, any apprehension towards the water long forgotten. Said water was now all over the bathroom floor of course and while Haru wanted the other to respect the water, he couldn't deny that having it everywhere was also quite nice.

Haru's grandmother just chuckled, planning on making Haru's parents dry it.

* * *

Despite how hard it was to get Rin into the tub, it was possibly harder to get him out. Especially now that Haru was on his side, both utterly refusing to budge.

Haru's grandmother sighed, her patience being tested, "Do I have to get your father Haruka?" she threatened, usually the fear of getting into trouble with his parents and the use of his full name was enough to get her grandson to behave but tonight he was still being stubborn.

However the threat definitely did the trick with Rin shot sat upright with a jolt and hurried to climb out of the bath, quick to wrap himself up in the fluffy red towel Grandma held at the ready.

"Haru…" he whined at him, "out, quick quick!" he urged, fearfully glancing between the door and Haru.

The sudden change in the catboys attitude caught both Haru and his grandmother off guard and Haru nodded, not wanting to distress Rin anymore. As he climbed out his grandmother tried to pick up Rin to comfort him but it seemed to make it worse as he let out scared meows that made her heart ache. Haru wrapped a towel around himself quickly and as soon as he had it secured Rin hugged him, whimpering softly. It reminded Haru of how he had been after his nightmare and hugged him back, "It's okay Rin, I'm here, you're safe…" he reassured though he was scared himself. He didn't know why Rin was so scared…

Haru's grandmother had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, there was a lot more to this than they knew about.


	10. Plans

**A/N finally had some spare time to write :D sorry it's not much**

* * *

That night, once Haru's grandmother and parents had gone to bed, Rin got up. The little catboy had had a big day and he was very sleepy, but he didn't want to sleep alone. His ears twitched as he went to the door, checking and making sure the coast was clear. One he was sure that it was he quickly went across the hall to Haru's room.

Going inside quietly he walked closer to the bed. It looked like Haru was sleeping…

"Haru…? Haru wake?" He whispered softly.

Haru hummed softly, a small pout on his face as he yawned and opened his blue eyes. "Rin? What is it?"

Rin looked down nervously, "Can Rin your bed too sleep?" he asked hopefully.

Haru nodded, shuffling over to make sure there was room enough for both of them and lifting the blanket to invite him up. Smiling brightly Rin scrambled up onto the bed under the blanket, nuzzling close to Haru. "Thank you."

Haru blushed at being so close but innocently kissed Rin's forehead like his parents did to him, "You're welcome, sweet dreams Rin."

"Sweet dreams."

* * *

When Haru woke up the next morning he found himself tangled with Rin, his red tail flicking against his cheek as the cat boy dreamt. He wasn't sure if the dream was happy or not, now and then Rin would try to nuzzle ever closer, but Haru didn't mind that much.

After a while though Haru knew that they had to get up, his grandma would be making breakfast soon and it would be best if they were already ready. He gently patted Rin's head, "Hey… Rin, wake up…" he called quietly.

Rin made a strange meowing sound in complaint at being woken, pouting and trying to turn towards the mattress to escape waking up.

"Rin we have to get up for breakfast." Haru told him, moving his hand down to the catboys shoulder to give him a small shake. "Come on… get up."

The catboy yawned, showing off sharp canine baby teeth, and blinked his eyes open. "Haru… sleep wanna more!" he complained, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes even as he sat up.

A small smile played at the corners of his lips as Haru reached out to fix the hair that fell in front of Rin's red eyes, "I know but we have to get up. I have to go to school again today, but you can't run away again okay?" he gave him a serious look. "You'll make me sad if you do, last time you got hurt and I want to know you're safe."

Rin nodded, "Rin want not Haru sad… but… me miss you." He admitted.

Haru frowned thoughtfully, "I have an idea… what if I take you to school?"

Rin lit up at the idea. He would get to spend the whole day with Haru?! "Yes!"

"Shhh…" Haru hushed quickly, "We can't get caught though or else we'll be in trouble. So it has to be a secret, okay?"

The catboy hesitated. Getting into trouble was something he wanted to avoid at all costs… but the prospect of spending the day with Haru was exciting and he was really curious about what this school was and why Haru had to spend so long there. His curiosity and excitement outweighed the risk and his tail twitched happily.

"Okay!"

* * *

With everything planned out – to the best ability of the two kids – it was time for breakfast. Haru gently reminding Rin to sit at the table with him as his grandmother put out two plates of food for them. The two thanked her and started eating, Rin eating quickly and causing a mess again while Haru ate more slowly and watched.

"So Rin, are you going to come with me when I take Haru to school?" Grandma asked as she chuckled, cleaning up a little after the catboy and making a mental note to teach him proper table manners.

Rin and Haru exchanged a look.

"No, I stays, sleep more." Rin replied with an over exaggerated yawn. "I is cat, cat naps!" he explained with a self-assured nod.

Grandma smiled at his serious nod, "Alright, well Haru I'm going to go get dressed, why don't you go get dressed in your uniform?"

Haru nodded and got down from the table, lightly tugging Rin's sleave so he would follow him to his bedroom. As soon as the door was closed Haru got out his uniform, and an extra uniform for Rin.

The catboys tail was flicking in excitement. "Rin you have to stop your tail or you won't be able to put on the pants…" Haru told him.

Rin nodded and wrapped his tail around his left thigh as best he could so he could put on the pants Haru held for him. Once they were both dressed Haru hesitated.

"Your ears…" he muttered as he went to his draw to get out a beanie for Rin to wear over his ears. Putting it on he smiled, "Can you hear okay?"

"Haru covered sounds!" Rin told him with a thumbs up.

It took Haru a moment to realize he meant that his voice sounded muffled.

"Perfect, now come on!" he held Rin's hand and the two quickly ran out to the car. Haru helped Rin into the space on the floor behind the passenger seat, putting one of his grandmothers jumpers over him to hide him. "Stay quiet okay?" he whispered to him as he covered him.

"I quiet stay." Rin whispered back with an excited giggle.

Haru put his school bag on the seat and closed the door just as his grandma was coming out. She looked at him curiously, "Haru what were you doing?"

"Rin went to bed already so I was putting my bag in the car." He told her as he got into his seat.

He put his seat belt on as Grandma got in as well.

So far so good.


End file.
